Stephen Colbert to CBS and the "Late Show": Good move for Colbert? Let us know in the comments section.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Well, that sure didn't take long. A week after David Letterman told the world that he'd be leaving his "Late Show" post sometime in 2015, CBS announced that Stephen Colbert would replace him.

Leave it to CBS to ruin our fun and blow up months of endless speculation about what would happen to the "Late Show." Within 24 hours of Letterman's surprise announcement on April 3, we already had assembled quite an intriguing list of candidates: Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O'Brien, Chelsea Handler, Craig Ferguson, Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Tina Fey, Jon Stewart and Colbert.

There goes a perfectly good list, completely shot to blazes. Turns out that all we needed was the last name on the list: the wry proprietor of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."

This isn't a good choice to replace Letterman. This is a great choice. Colbert frequently has been mentioned as a possible host for the 11:35 p.m. "Late Show," and he was the best and brightest of the rumored candidates.

Letterman was the edgy choice for CBS when he launched the "Late Show" in 1993. Twenty-one years later, Colbert is the hippest guy in the field.

"Stephen Colbert is one of the most inventive and respected forces on television," Leslie Moonves, the network's president and CEO, said in a statement released by CBS. "David Letterman's legacy and accomplishments are an incredible source of pride for all of us here, and today's announcement speaks to our commitment of upholding what he established for CBS in late night."

It's quite the comedic coup for CBS, which needs a big gun to stay in the late-night war against Jimmy Fallon, who took over NBC's "Tonight Show" in February, and the other Jimmy, Kimmel, on ABC.

"Stephen is a multi-talented and respected host, writer, producer, satirist and comedian who blazes a trail of thought-provoking conversation, humor and innovation with everything he touches," said Nina Tassler, chairman of CBS Entertainment. "He is a presence on every stage, with interests and notable accomplishments across a wide spectrum of entertainment, politics, publishing and music. We welcome Stephen to CBS with great pride and excitement, and look forward to introducing him to our network television viewers in late night."

Yes, yes and yes. Good for CBS. But there's another side to this big announcement: Is it good for Stephen Colbert?

The host, writer and executive producer of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning "The Colbert Report" says it is.

"Simply being a guest on David Letterman's show has been a highlight of my career," Colbert said. "I never dreamed that I would follow in his footsteps, though everyone in late night follows Dave's lead. I’m thrilled and grateful that CBS chose me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go grind a gap in my front teeth."

That's not the gap Colbert, 48, needs to worry about when he replaces Letterman, 67. CBS wants him to put a big ol' dent in the generation gap that has zapped the major broadcast networks' late-night shows.

As the ratings have gone down and down for these late-night shows, the average age of the late-night viewer has gone up and up. The under-50 crowd isn't watching any of these programs in significant numbers. But, hey now, over on cable's Comedy Central, the 11:30 p.m. "Colbert Report" does significantly better with viewers 18-to-49, the demographic most prized by advertisers.

The average age of the Letterman "Late Show" viewer is 58. The average age of a "Colbert Report" viewer is 42.

That kind of math makes Colbert particularly attractive to CBS.

The Colbert numbers are encouraging. The Letterman numbers are alarming. His "Late Show" is averaging 2.8 million viewers this season, and that's down about 6 percent from last season. Even more troubling for CBS, Letterman is down 17 percent with the 18-to-49 audience.

The hope is that Colbert can reverse that trend and narrow the gap. The expectation is that Colbert's 11:30 Comedy Central audience will follow him to CBS. But will they?

That's the question hanging over this move. It's not a question of talent. Colbert has talent to spare.

But can anybody pull younger viewers to a broadcast network these days? Can anybody make the traditional networks' late-night talk shows destination viewing again -- and hip and relevant? Colbert certainly has all that on cable, so there is a risk involved for him.

Since its launch on Comedy Central in 2005, "The Colbert Report" has won two Peabody awards and four Emmys (including the 2013 statuette for outstanding variety series). Before getting his own show, Colbert spent eight years as a correspondent on his buddy Stewart's "The Daily Show."

Why wouldn't Colbert fans follow him from Comedy Central to CBS? Look, there have been plenty of times when viewers didn't follow a show to a new night, even though it was on the same network. Anyone remember the ratings free fall suffered by "Mork & Mindy" when ABC moved it from Thursday to Sunday? It happens through no fault of a respected and popular star.

Colbert also won't be doing "The Colbert Report" on CBS. He already has confirmed that his "Late Show" persona won't be the mock conservative commentator he plays to satirical perfection on Comedy Central. He won't be hiding behind a character as a real talk-show host.

Look for the "Late Show" to stay in New York, since Colbert already is an East Coast guy. Look for "The Colbert Report" to air its last show at the end of the year. And look to see if Colbert can build up a stretch of network real estate that younger viewers have been avoiding for decades.

That's a tall order for anyone. Despite the daunting odds, Colbert has the best shot, and that's why CBS moved with lightning speed to sign him.

It should be fun to see him try, and CBS owes us some fun after cutting short our guessing game just as it was getting started.

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